The Drip (Comic-turned-story)
by yurisi54
Summary: ((This is a comic-turned-story based off of the 2017 comic written/drawn/coloured by Matthew K. Manning/Chad Thomas/Heather Breckel)) "Donatello accidentally creates a new water-based mutant in his lab. The aquatic ally seems peaceful enough... until he realises there's a lot more water in the world than Don lets on."
1. Chapter 1

((To be honest, I'm not sure if this is where I'm supposed to add an 'Author's Note', but I'll do it just in case. **I DO NOT OWN THIS STORY/PLOT IN ANY WAY AND NOR DO I OWN THE CHARACTERS USED**. The plot is by Matthew K. Manning from the 2017 TMNT comic book, volume 4. I decided the best way to see if I had 'writing potential' was to turn a TMNT comic into a written story. **Again, the plot is not mine.** I did add in some lines to make the story 'flow' nicer, as you don't have pictures to see what's going on. Constructive criticism is welcome, but please, no flames! There will be more chapters posted later on and original stories on the way, too!))

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The day drew to a close with the leisurely descent of the sun as it willingly surrendered the sky to its lunar counterpart. Without a moment to spare, night began to silently creep upon the famous _City That Never Sleeps._ The people within the lively, bustling city appeared to be blissfully unaware as witching hour approached, carrying on as though it was still day. Crowds formed on the sidewalks within mere seconds and vehicles bunched up at intersections. A cool breeze swept through the city, as if to taunt those who did not wear layers of warm clothing to expel the oncoming chill.

Despite this, it was just another mediocre night in New York.

Unbeknown by most, however, there were a few beings that did not inhabit the lively ground above. Rather, their souls reside below the streets and towering skyscrapers, hidden from all of society. Deep underground, in the confines of the sewers, it was just another mediocre night in the lair, and an uncharacteristic silence that taken ahold of the retreat the four mutant turtles and sensei call _home_.

It was an odd change in the constant white noise that usually played in the background of their day. After all, without Raphael shouting or taunting the others, Michelangelo bouncing off the walls, or even Leonardo scolding his brothers to stop acting like children, unintentionally making the noise more unbearable than it already was, it was not the same lair that Donatello had grown accustomed too. For years he patiently put up with their shenanigans and trivial bickering… well, mostly, Raph and Mikey's shenanigans.

Thankfully, Leonardo, their oldest brother, had a bit more self control and dignity.

Of course, Donatello wasn't complaining about this _lack of clamour._ In fact, he felt rather relieved that the group's choir of racket subsided for at least one night. It wasn't everyday that he could hear himself think clearly. But with the day ending with every passing second, it was only a matter of time before sleep and exhaustion would slow his mind.

From inside the lab, Donatello slouched wearily by the cluttered table, futilely trying to rub the ever-growing need to sleep from his eyes. He attempted to focus his brain on everything and anything but rest, and settled on getting right back into the experiment he had started a little over seven hours ago. Reaching out for the cup of black coffee before him, he quickly downed the rest of the bitter drink in one gulp. There hadn't been much left, anyway, and he hoped the boost of caffeine would activate sooner rather than later... he wasn't in the mood to make what would be the fifth pot of coffee today.

He placed the now-empty cup back onto the counter before him, where vials and other scientific precision instruments were scattered in disarray. It was only a wonder how his 'clean freak' personality wasn't mocking him for allowing such a mess to occur on his once spacious desk, the layout of the chaos (or how he would sternly put it, _organised chaos_ ) memorised in his sluggish mind. Closest to him was a beaker half filled with a glowing, green liquid. He picked up an empty vial from the disarrangement of tools, pouring a small amount of a blue substance into it before pouring _that_ into the beaker.

The chemicals fizzed like an opened can of shaken soda. Carefully, he held the vial over the beaker and used his free hand to cover his mouth as he yawned once again. _When is that caffeine gonna start working? Oh, well... I shouldn't get too distracted..._

"Now... to add the... the invigorating compounds to the... the..." He trailed off, rubbing his eyes for the eighth time in the past minute in an attempt to keep himself awake. "Muta... mutagen..."

His mind, though overworked, was still functioning enough to inform him that the chances of the experiment being completed in one night were next to nothing. If he had any common sense, he would pack up the test tubes and beakers and call it a night. Unfortunately, his stubbornness easily won over his body's basic needs, even though he was practically sleeping upright in the seat. He was certain the caffeine would give him the boost he needed anytime soon... _Eh, whatever. I can do this without caffeine..._

While subconsciously pondering whether he'd pass out from exhaustion or receive the rush of caffeine first, he tilted the vial and watched through hazy eyes as the liquid began to trickle out from the glass. It was only sheer moments afterwards that his bloodshot eyes involuntarily shut altogether, his stiff limbs going slack against the counter.

He succumbed to sleep for only a split second.

Just when he appeared to have fallen victim to fatigue, Donatello's eyes snapped open wide in surprise, figure jolting from its slouched position into a straighter one. The vial was flung upright in his hand, and from inside the thin, glass container, the liquid splashed over the lip and onto the desk. Thankfully, the chemical inside was not acidic enough to burn through metal... or the scales on his hand.

"Zzzz... Not the cuticles!" Donnie exclaimed, quite disoriented. His body stiffened up into a state of shock as he glanced around, slowly recalling the familiar surroundings. "I said don't trim the... the.. erk... what?"

He rubbed at his eyes again, buying himself some time to realise what exactly had happened to cause such an embarrassing outburst. He easily concluded that he had been dreaming, that even in that split second, his mind had wandered into the unknown corners of his psyche.

"Come on, Donatello, wake up. Master Splinter is counting on you." He reminded himself wearily, the sternness in his voice lost alongside with the enthusiasm. Returning back to his exhausted, scrunched up position, he could feel himself slipping from reality once again.

"If I combine too much of these chemicals the... the results would be..." He didn't even finish his sentence before his body began shutting down again, fatigue taking its toll on his subconsciousness. _Maybe I should have tried stronger coffee? Espresso? Probably..._ "The results... cata... catastroph..."

For only a moment did his grip on the vial release ever so slightly, his eyes closing sleepily for the second time. Unaware of the action, his hand turned just enough for the glassware to tilt over and spill its contents into the mutagen-filled beaker.

The two chemicals fizzed and bubbled in irritation as they began to fuse together in the jar, emitting a rather intoxicating greenish-blue glow that lit up the laboratory. Too much had been added... The terrible aroma swiftly awoke the sleeping turtle, and his eyes flickered open in surprise, noticing the action he had unwittingly made. However, his reaction time was a little too slow.

For a moment, all appeared to be calm, as though the inevitable had been delayed for a few seconds. Then, without the slightest warning, there was a deafening _boom_ that shook the entire lab. The beaker exploded into shards of glass from the impact and pieces of the chipped wall and other debris were sent sailing across the room in a shower of rubble. The heavy metal doors rocked on their hinges, as if they too were trying to escape the cloud of black smoke that filled the up the room to the ceiling.

The sound of the eruption echoed throughout the sewer, causing anything within a thirty foot radius to be left with ears ringing for a solid minute. As for Donatello, though, his senses had shut down the moment the explosion. He felt himself crash hard onto the cement floor, vision going black as a different type of sleep claimed him.

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((A.N - More chapters on the way! It might be a little while before I post again because editing takes me a while (school/art classes/etc) . Hope you liked it, even though it was kind of short! Thanks for giving this story a chance and I hope you stick around!))


	2. Chapter 2

((A.N- Hello! I'm back with the second chapter! I'm not very proud of this one, but it's necessary to the plot. I just think it drags on far too long. Constructive criticism is always welcome here, and let me know if there are any spelling/grammatical errors! Anyway, as always, I am NOT the creator of the plot of this story. The credits are all in the first chapter if you missed them.))

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" _...think he's coming to!"_

" _...cause of all the smelling salts, dude."_

" _That was literally salt, Mikey. You tried pouring salt in Donnie's nose."_

" _Exactly, Leo, exactly."_

Even with his eyes sealed shut, body aching as though he had been hit by a Kraang stealth ship, Donatello could feel the suffocatingly close presence of three individuals surrounding him as he lay on the cold floor. _Jeez... what happened?_ Someone had his throbbing head placed on their lap, hands gingerly gripping his shoulders once he finally found the courage to blink open his red, burning eyes. He partially expected to be greeted by a torrential storm of laughter... at his _expense,_ no less...

"Hey bro, can you hear me?" Raphael asked, his voice holding a shred of genuine concern as he gently squeezed his senseless brother's shoulders.

Donatello tilted his head up. "Raph?" He guessed, seeing a bright, fiery smudge of red in his blurry vision. A few more colours floated around him, currently unidentifiable persons, and he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to focus his hazy view. He could feel a few tears stream down his face, soaking into the edges of his mask. Praying that his brothers hadn't noticed, and out of pure humiliation, he quickly brushed them away with the back of his hand.

That was when, from his right, there was a sigh of relief from Leonardo, feeling much more at ease upon seeing his younger brother's open eyes and promising signs of speaking and moving with minimal effort. Beside him, Michelangelo was practically _bouncing_ on his legs in excitement.

"Dr. Mikey saves the day yet _again_!" The youngest ninja proclaimed proudly, sitting up on his knees with a wide grin on his freckled face.

"Just so we're clear, you did absolutely _nothing_ to help." Leonardo commented pointedly.

"Or did I do _everything_?" Mikey pressed with a grin, not fully grasping Leo's serious tone.

"No, no you did not."

And so, as the pain from the explosion began to subside (along with the two brothers' trivial bickering), Donnie shakily attempted to pull himself up into a sitting position... with the much-need assistance from Raph. The red-masked turtle seemed to be doing his absolute best to not injure his already-lame brother, and it was odd break in his usual Neanderthal-like character. However, Donatello figured if he wanted to _keep_ what was _left_ of him unscathed, he shouldn't question it.

"I think it's time to take a break from the science stuff for a little while, pal." Raph suggested.

He watched as Donnie, still regaining his self awareness, began to examine his arms and legs for cuts or bruises. Amazingly, the only injury he had obtained from the blast was a rather minuscule scratch on his upper plastron. The downside, though, was as clear as day: he was nearly _black_ with smoke, and before long, a raspy series of coughs signalled that he may have inhaled more toxic fumes than what was considered safe. Leo winced at the sound of his brother's feeble wheezing.

"Yeah, Raph's got a point," The fearless leader agreed, a thin line appearing between his brows. "You need to take a break for a little while or something. You've been pushing yourself _too_ hard. I mean, you're barely even eating _or_ sleeping."

"I manage," Donatello quickly deflected the statement with a huff once he was able to speak without bursting into coughs. Though the claim hadn't surprised him in the slightest, it _did_ manage to sting his ego ever-so-slightly that, even with practically being _blown up_ , Leo _still_ was able to accuse him of something negative. _Can I really blame him...? Er... much?_ After all, unless he was called to attend training, patrols or needed to use the restroom, he seldom set foot outside the lab. He also found himself resorting to fasting until he was forced to eat at dinner. Despite the constant pestering, in the world of Donatello's mind and logic, it was all going to be worth it in the end. Figuring out the antidote for their father's mutation had never been so close to a reality. Master Splinter could finally be _human_ once more, just as he had been sixteen years ago! No longer would he be forced into _hiding_ with the rest of them. He'd be _happy_. He'd be _human_ , something the brothers all accepted as unachievable for themselves.

But, Donatello faced another challenge, and it all rested on persuading his father that the antidote could change his life for the better. Master Splinter constantly reminded the four that he was content with his mutated form, though it symbolised _everything_ he lost. The longer Donnie thought about Master Splinter living out the rest of life as a _rat_ , the more he realised just how crucial the antidote was to his father's humanity... for _everyone_ who had fallen victim to the Kraang. Like April's _own_ father.

The very thought of April never being able to see her father again, along with the inhumane situation Mr. O'Neil was in, was enough for his blood to start boiling in aggravation. He needed to pull his senses together, for Splinter, Mr. O'Neil and... and for April. Maybe then, once she was reunited with him, he'd be able to forgive himself for what happen.

For what _he_ let happen.

"Guys, you don't get it," Donnie stubbornly proceeded to stand up on wobbly legs (with Raph's help, of course). Leo and Mikey soon followed suit, though mostly for the sake to keep him from toppling over.

"I'm _so close_ to finding the cure for Splinter to make him _human_ again, I can _feel_ it. I just need to find a better invigorating compound to bond to the mutagen. Guys, I'm close to finding a cure! A cure to make _everyone_ that got mutated by the Kraang human again." _Like April's dad... I hope I'm not too late with making the retromutagen...Oh, what am I saying? Even if I did make it... which I'm blatantly_ failing _at...she said she never wanted to see us again!.. and there isn't much time left before-_

"Donnie, do you need... water or anything?" Leonardo questioned with narrowed eyes, taking notice of his younger brother's spaced-out expression. His tone easily revealed that, though he _asked_ , it was not up for debate. He emphasised his point by running a finger through the black layer of smoke caked onto the other turtle's scales. Donatello, whose left arm was now decorated with a long trail of green in the vast sea of black, fought back the snide comments building up in his throat. _Do I need some_ water _? Like a_ shower _? Because if the answer isn't already_ obvious _..._

"No thanks... I-I think I'm good-" He immediately broke off into another bout of coughs as if his body was countering the statement.

"No, you're not. Mikey, get some water for him to drink." Leo ordered.

Donnie sharply sighed as a silent objection, though he was not _entirely_ annoyed by how much of a _fussy mom_ his oldest brother enjoyed acting like. At least now, they were actually paying _some_ attention to his injuries (no matter how harmless they really were) and not his habit of camping out in the lab for days on end. He watched in defeat as Mikey quickly shot up like a rocket and raced off to the kitchen, happy to oblige.

"Dude, what _happened_ in there?" Raph demanded once Mikey vanished from sight, sounding more angry than concerned now that the initial shock of the explosion had worn off.

Donatello hesitated for a moment.

"Well... I guess I... I just wasn't careful enough." He put simply, rubbing the back of his aching neck. He chose his words carefully so that the others wouldn't suggest his fatigue had been the cause of the mess. _To be honest... I don't even feel all that tired anymore... in fact, I feel better than before... wait... that means.._ Deadpanning, he immediately recognised the familiar burst of energy he longed for about a half hour ago. _Oh,_ now _the caffeine starts working. Figures._

Noticing that Donnie was spacing out again, Leo frowned, slightly nudging his shoulder to snap him back into reality. But before he was able to chew his brother out for _lack of responsibility_ , Mikey noisily paraded back into the pit.

"Aw, yeah, boy! One sip of this and it'll cure _all_ your post-explosion needs!" He tossed the water bottle he retrieved from one hand to the other, as though he were juggling. Walking up to his brothers, he unscrewed the cap and held it out for Donnie to take. Mumbling out a _'thank you'_ , the purple-masked turtle reluctantly reached for the drink, mostly because of the stern glare Leo was threatening him with. But upon further analysis, his hand stopped reaching, noticing the water had strange, microscopic particles floating through it. Donatello quickly refused by retracting his hand, silently questioning the possible contamination of the content within.

Shrugging with a face that translated to, _your loss,_ Mikey took the drink for himself, gulping down nearly half the bottle within seconds.

"Mikey... what _exactly_ are you drinking?" Donatello inquired with a hint of disgust.

A part of him wished he hadn't, as the moment the words left his mouth, a sophisticated expression blossomed on Mikey's freckled face, easily reaching far beyond his years (and mental age of six). As usual, he was quick to boast.

"Uh, just the _biggest_ thing in all of _athleticism_. _Refresh-ade._ It's got tons of..." He squinted at the ingredient list on the back. "... _Electrolytes_ and betawhatnoticals. _Let nothing stand between you and our thirst."_ He then proceeded to stand in way which meant to suggest the overall _awesomeness_ of the drink, but instead, it looked plain humiliating and took all of his brother's self restraint to not burst out laughing.

All except for one: Donatello's mind was buzzing a mile a minute.

" _Riiiiight_." Raphael rolled his eyes, snatching the energy drink out of Mikey's hands and taking a sip for himself. After swallowing, a disgusted look appeared on his face.

"Where did you even _get_ this junk? It taste like literal _garbage_!" He then took another hesitant gulp, much more cautious of how much he allowed himself to ingest.

"Dude, somebody threw it into the _sewer_ on fifth street! Can you _believe_ it?" Michelangelo's reply was full of disbelief, a wide smile nearly splitting his face in half. "It was still half full and had _barely anything_ floating in it." He then observed the bottle a bit closer, almost with a pouting expression. "Okay, maybe there's a _little bit_ more stuff than I thought, but still, not much-!"

Before he had even finished what would most likely end in a sickening statement, Raph immediately spat out the water, a nauseating expression on his suddenly pale face. In an act of repulsion, he shoved the more-than-half-empty plastic bottle at Mikey's plastron, forcing him to take it away.

"Every day you get just a little bit _grosser_ ," Raph complained through clenched teeth, wiping away the droplets of water from around his mouth with his free hand.

Mikey was beside himself in amusement while Leo shook his head in a playful fashion, obviously disapproving of their actions, but not _too_ upset to make them stop. He glanced over at Donnie, but only received a blank stare from the second youngest brother which meant he had _spaced out again._ The scientifically inclined turtle was too swarmed with elaborate thoughts to even notice Leo eyeing him... the retro-mutagen notes he had taken were not only swamping his desk but also his _mind_ as nothing seemed to take his attention for more than _a few minutes-_

" _Aaaaaaaanyway_ ," Leo's voice managed to worm its way through the complexity of his younger brother's brain. "As I was saying, Donnie… just take _one_ week off, okay? One week won't make _or_ break this for you."

It was a typical 'Leo' move to speak with his 'big brother' tone. It was the very one he donned whenever he was giving them _'_ big brother advice', as he liked to put it… and it was the _one_ tone that aggravated Raph to _no end._ But Donnie just couldn't find a way to see eye-to-eye with Leo...

 _He just doesn't understand how incredibly close I am to a break through... to getting this to work! I wonder if I should get a new batch going in case the current one fails... no doubt it will... wait, why is Leo staring at me like that?_

That was when Donnie, with a jolt of realisation, became aware that Leo was eyeing him patiently, arms folded against his plastron.

He was waiting for a response.

"Huh?" Donnie stuttered over his words, his mind frantically trying to recall what exactly Leo had asked him to do. "Oh sure, that's fine." He hoped that whatever the fearless leader had inquired was not a question that demanded more than a 'yes' or 'no' response.

"You'll take a week off, right?" Leo repeated sternly, raising a brow. He put a slight space between each word.

Donnie nodded immediately afterwards, still not fully immersed in the question, but finding the option to at least _pretend_ that he had paying attention more tasteful than completely blanking on his brother for the third time in a row. It was only after his wordless response did he realise what he had agreed too, causing him to blanched ever so slightly. A strong hand was pressed onto his shoulder, giving him a pat as though he were a dog that had obeyed a command.

"Hey, if you need us for something, like your chest starts hurting from that explosion or you start coughing really bad," Leo eyed the area on his brother's plastron where his lungs were located. "Be sure to tell us, okay? We're here to help."

Donnie nodded again with a blank expression, still reeling from his previous answer.

Appearing to be oblivious to the other ninja's misery, Leo gave off what seemed to be a pleased smile with Donnie's answer, and the purple masked turtle decided it was better to leave Leo believing what he wanted instead of the truth.

Leo then gave him a weaker smile. "So... why don't you go and take a shower? Because you look more like a walking piece of coal than a turtle."

Forcing a similar grin of his own, Donatello figured this was when he was supposed to take his leave. Without a single word to signal his departure, he slowly trudged back to his room to fetch a few towels. He risked a small glance over his shoulder at the three. They paid no mind to him as he left, and in a way, he was rather glad he wasn't the centre of their attention anymore. He was able to hide his sour moods and sorrowful feelings rather well, and his wilting aura told him that _talking_ would only make matters worse.

But, there was something nagging the back of his mind. He turned away from the others and swiftly exited the pit, heading straight for the safety and confinement of his room.

His buzzing thoughts were jumbled as he shut the door behind him, switching on the lights to illuminate a bedroom that was so organised it seemed as though the _dust_ resting on the bookshelves had been carefully placed. Electrolytes _could_ be just the thing he was looking for… and Mikey had said the drink he found was _full_ of it. Though Donnie knew the chances of Mikey actually being correct were about as accurate as a blizzard in the middle of August, he decided to humour the idea. Now, all he needed to do was get his hands on that stupid, plastic water bottle.

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((A.N - Thanks for reading! I promise the next chapter will be a bit more interesting, but like I said before, this one is needed for the plot. See you in a bit!))


	3. Chapter 3

((A.N. This chapter isn't long, but it does contain the appearance of a new character... Anyway, constructive criticism is welcome, and there are more notes at the end of the story. I am not the creator of this plot. The credits are in the first chapter if you missed it.

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Later that night, after a much-needed shower and an uneventful midnight patrol of the city, Donatello was more than prepared to set his plan into action. He had barely spoken a full sentence to any of his brothers since the detonation of the lab, keeping mostly to himself. Thankfully, none of them took any notice in his lack of engrossment during their conversations. Mikey, though, was the exception, and gabbed nonstop to Donnie as they raced over the rooftops, content when his small talk earned him an occasional smile or faint chuckle from the genius turtle. Over the years, they had learned that Donatello was obviously the most reserved brother, and would rather spend his time alone, tinkering in his lab, than beating up street gangs... or alerting any with by talking. So when he announced he was heading straight to bed after the patrol, none of them found any reason to argue otherwise (expect Mikey who said he should stay up all night watching TV with him). But now that the others had gone to sleep (Mikey included), and allowing an hour to pass in order to make sure that they would _stay_ asleep, Donatello silently slipped out of his room and put his plan to work... full ninja-mode. He couldn't afford being caught.

 _You'll take a week off, right?_ He could hear his earlier conversation with Leo echo through his mind as he tiptoed down the hall. "Pssh... yeah, right. Like I'd actually quit when I'm so close to finding the answer..." Donnie silently mocked the words as they replayed over and over in his head like a broken record player. _Just take one week off, okay? One week won't make or break this for you._

In all honesty, he was rather surprised that Leo put so much trust in him. Wasn't it obvious that he'd find a loophole to get around his promise? Apparently not. He could only thank his lucky stars that Leo, or their father, didn't do daily checks on his room, or they would have undoubtedly found all of the scientific instruments he had managed to sneak in over the years. It was no wonder that he rarely slept with all of the temping equipment surrounding him while he tried to catch up on missed rest.

But eventually, he'd find the cure. Even if it was the last thing he'd do.

With a determined mindset, he tried to remember where exactly he had last seen that stupid water bottle. He checked all around the kitchen, the hashi corner, and even peered carefully into the dojo, hoping to a higher plane of existence that he would not awaken Master Splinter. When his efforts turned fruitless in those locations, he searched every inch of the pit. Eventually, out of options, he made a beeline for the back of the pinball machine. To his surprise, however, he spotted the bottle wedged against the wall and the legs. He carefully reached forwards to dislodge the plastic bottle which _did_ caused him a little hassle. But soon, he retreated back to his room in silence. Somehow, his search proved successful. Trying his best to place light footsteps, as well as glancing over his shoulder several times to make sure he wasn't being followed, Donatello entered his room and quickly shut the door behind him, locking it for safe measures.

When Leo ordered him to go for a solid week without any scientific operations, he knew the blue masked turtle was dead serious, and there was no doubting that their father, Splinter, was aware of this little _punishment,_ too. Breaking that promise would undoubtedly lead to worse consequences than losing the ability to utilise the laboratory for seven days straight. Donnie winced and set the bottle onto the desk.

He switched on the desk lamp and sat down, trying to make himself comfortable in the swivel chair that was obviously not designed for someone with a huge shell on their back. As quietly as he could, he retrieved a petri dish and an eye dropper from the edge of the counter.

Then, his eyes fell upon the first drawer of the desk, fastened shut with an electronic lock. He quickly punched in a seven number code and opened up the cabinet. Carefully, he pulled out a sealed glass vial filled with pink liquid. He gnawed on his bottom lip as the mutagen inside radiated an artificial, nauseating pink glow, the odd colour a result of his constant prodding. He felt his palms grow slick with sweat, his mind reminding him that any slip-ups would certainly cause a disastrous and an irreversible mess... especially if he were to some into contact with the... Donatello refused to finish the sentence. This was not the time to dwell of "what-ifs".

But he just couldn't shake away the single thought. The amount of trouble he would be in if he were caught with mutagen in his possession, outside of the lab, would be astronomical. He was already in hot water for storing mutagen in the laboratory, but thankfully, Splinter allowed it, but only under strict rules and containment. Such a dangerous chemical capable of splitting apart and rearranging cells had no place in their world. Their father, April's father and dozens of other humans had already experienced exactly what the chemical was capable of doing to a person. Heck, even _he_ and his _brothers_ were changed by it.

But finding a cure for all the infected humans, and their father, was more crucial than ever.

Ever so carefully, so that the mutagen would not come into contact with his skin, he unscrewed the cork from the vial and poured a tiny a sample out onto the petri dish. On a fresh dish, he opened the energy drink and tilted it just enough to allow a few drops to settle onto it. He then took a hold of the eye dropper, now clasped in his shaky hand, and he sucked up a tad bit of the water. Holding his breath, he placed the pipette directly over the synthesised mutagen.

He let out a shaky breath. "Just a little... drip..." Donatello muttered to himself, _reminding_ himself, and squeezed the eye dropper with extreme caution. A few drops of water splattered over the chemical, absorbed by the pink goo immediately. As the two compounds fused together, he quickly picked up the petri dish, a part of him unsure and uneasy of what was to come. Donatello's breath caught in his throat as he watched the mutation occur right before his eager eyes. He could only imagine what was happening at the microscopic level, as the mutagen violently took over the electrolytes. It happened much faster than he had anticipated. A few seconds passed. Then a minute. Two. It was only once he placed the petri dish onto the desk did he notice that something was watching him. He blinked his eyes several times in surprise, wondering whether is was the lack of light or sleep that was causing him to hallucinate. On the dish, there now stood a pink-coloured droplet. It was a tad bit smaller than his fist and it was staring back at him with bright, wide blue eyes that lacked irises.

"Oh..." He let out his breath as he brought the cell plate closer to examine it. "Wow."

The small creature shaped like a water droplet stood frozen like a statue, and he began to wonder whether it was alive at all.

But the moment he began to bring it closer to his face, the smaller mutant let out what sounded like an excited shriek. The purple masked turtle yelped in surprise as a response and the tiny creature raced off of the petri dish and up a rather awe-struck Donnie's arm.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, stiffening up in absolute shock as the _thing_ scrambled from his right shoulder to his left. His vow to stay completely silent had completely slipped through his jarred mind, as right now, he was more focused on containing that little monster. He wasn't afraid of the thing he had created itself, and quite frankly, it looked rather harmless. But the mutagen on its body could very well still be active. He winced as it touched the rough scales on his shoulder, but he felt no pain. Letting out a sigh of relief, he slowly snaked his hand up toward his shoulder where the thing had paused, attempting to capture it. Then, he saw the bright smile that the water mutant had on its rose-coloured face as it looked up at him. He couldn't help but reply with a grin himself.

It actually looked... _cute._

"Woah, well, hey little guy!" Donnie laughed. "You're certainly not what I was expecting." He tried to crain his head to better see the creature that was resting on his left shoulder. It did not move for a solid twenty seconds before, abruptly, it let out another loud shriek and hopped off of the startled mutant. It landed onto the desk without injury, proceeding to run circles around the petri dish where it had been mutated. After a few seconds, it headed off toward the microscope and other scientific instruments Donnie kept on the counter.

"Hey, slow down!" He shouted at the thing, trying his best to keep it out of harm's way as it ran around precarious precision instruments and scalpels. _Boy, this thing's fast...!_ He realised and his stomach flipped in panic. "You might-"

" _Hey Dr. Giggles! Keep it down! Some of us are trying to sleep!"_

Raphael's irked shout from the other room was almost like a physical slap in the face as Donatello recalled the most crucial part of the entire mission, the _one_ element he had totally thrown out the window- _silence_. He clamped his mouth shut and balled his hands into tight fists, partially expecting Leo to come barging in with a scolding fit. In reality, he was left alone in the darkness of his room, illuminated by a single lamp.

"Sorry, Raph!" He apologised back at the same volume. Once a few minutes had passed without anymore interruptions, Donatello's tired eyes darted back towards where the water mutant sat on his desk. He gave an exhausted look, and in an instant, lashed out his hand so fast that it was nothing more than green blur. He successfully snagged the creature into his palm before it could escape. He held the thing firmly to ensure that it would not run away again, even though he could feel it writhing in his palm.

"Where to put you... where to put you...?" While whispering under under his breath, he scanned his surroundings, hoping to find something to put the thing in until the next morning... when he could hopefully study it better. Eventually, he settled on a clear, glass jar. He placed the creature inside and screwed the lid shut as tightly as he could. _Just for precaution._

Though he didn't know for sure, and he wasn't planning on finding out anytime soon, this little creature could possess _extreme_ power. He wasn't taking _any_ chances. Not to mention _anything_ that could give away his habit of secretly working when he was supposed to be resting was _not_ going to be taken lightly by the others. But the droplet seemed to be contained rather well, and it made no moves to escape, let alone move from where he had placed it. Donnie let out a sigh of relief. Just to be safe, he took a scalpel and poked several large holes in the top of the lid to ensure it would be able to breathe inside its new, temporary habitat.

Reluctantly, wishing that there were something more in his room he could work on, Donatello finally began packing up the scientific equipment, placing everything back where it had been before. Several yawns interrupted his work, signalling that his body was in need of much needed rest. Eventually, he caved in. Once everything was in its original location, he untied his iconic purple mask, deciding that it was best to get at least a few hours of sleep. After all, it wouldn't seem as though he was 'relaxing' if he woke up the next morning with bags under his eyes from staying up so late at night.

He made quick work of removing his gear, placing the knee and elbow pads in their designated space by the cabinets for tomorrow, along with his belt and bo staff holder. Quietly, he switched off the lamp and crawled into his bed. Another yawn cut through the silence as he made himself comfortable, pulling the sheets up to his chin.

"Goodnight, Drip." He said softly. "See you in the morning, little guy."

And the Drip simply stared back without a word.

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((A.N. The next chapter will be a bit shorter, but the one after it is decently long. I actually might merge the next two chapters, but that's up for debate. Thanks for reading! See you later!))


	4. Chapter 4

((A.N. I actually forgot to update this sooner *nervous laugh* Anyway, more notes at the end, constructive criticisms is always welcome, and credits are found in the first chapter!))

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Cruel morning arrived far too early.

He felt as though only a minute passed since his head hit the pillow the night before. Reluctantly, Donatello lazily blinked open his eyes, hearing the all-too-familiar, bothersome alarm of his homemade wind-up clock. With a groan, he reached out from under the safety of the covers, exposing his skin to the cold, static air of his room, and switched the timer off. Squinting through blurry vision, he tried to identify the numbers the hands were resting on.

 _Six O'Clock._

Donatello let out a sigh, suddenly feeling all the more drained than before as he read the _ungodly_ time of day he and his brothers woke up every morning to train in the dojo. On any other day, he would have been up at the crack of dawn to work in his lab. But with his sanctuary off-limits for the week, he really didn't have much to do. A list of the projects that he had yet to start or continue ran mockingly through his barely functioning, groggy mind, teasing him with all the things he couldn't do until next Tuesday. _I can't upgrade the T-Phone with a GPS tracking signal because all of the electrical circuits are in my lab... the Shellraiser could use new brakes, but that's in the garage... which is in the lab... I can't even work on the retro mutagen-_

Then he remembered The Drip; The little water mutant he had created.

A gasp was caught in his throat as his eyes widened in surprise. Immediately, forgetting all about his previous fatigue, Donnie threw the covers off of himself and raced toward the desk. The moment he caught sight of the jar with the pink goo encased inside of its glassy walls, he let out a breath of relief; It was still there. He allowed his adrenaline to subside before picking up the jar, bringing it up to his eye height to examine it. But, as if to add to his shock, the Drip appeared to be _melting_. There was more goo on the bottom of the jar that on the mutant itself. In a slow and pained gesture, it wearily placed a hand up to the clear wall of the jar, its eyes full of misery.

"Oh no..." Donnie set the jar back down, looking around for the water bottle he had discarded once the mutation successfully occurred. But it was nowhere in his field of view. He would need to find water from another source. _Will tap work? Only one way to find out, I guess._

"Um... I'll be right back, Drip. Hang on."

Quickly, Donnie threw on all of his gear and exited his room, still tying the mask around his face as he shut the door behind him with his foot. With that taken care off, he wasted no time racing off toward the kitchen- He couldn't afford to have his brothers or Splinter realise exactly what he was up to. He just needed to get some water for the Drip, then disappear back into his room until he called back out for training. But as he passed through the lair, he noticed that no one was in the pit or even the dojo just yet.

A slightly nauseating feeling weighed him down.

 _That means..._

Slowing his pace, he crept softly toward the kitchen and poked his head curiously through the empty door frame, praying that his brothers were still in their rooms. Instead, he was met with the tired gazes of three overly-familiar faces. Donnie swallowed a jolt of fear and forced a smile, thankful that his mask obscured the dark bags under his eyes.

"Hey," He nervously greeted, hoping his brothers wouldn't question his suspiciously 'off' behaviour. Against all odds, they exchanged similar words as he passed them without pausing, headed straight for a cabinet to grab a glass. Thankfully, the others paid no mind to his tense posture. However, Leonardo, who was patiently waiting for the tea to brew, kept shooting Donnie odd glances. As Donatello switched on the faucet to the kitchen sink and waited for the glass to fill, he could hear Raph and Mikey rather argumentative debate about... science?

"That's not science, Mikey." Raph insisted with a scowl, the bowl of untouched cereal in front of him long forgotten.

"That's what they said to Thomas Edison." Mikey replied sophisticatedly. In one of his hands was a slice of pizza, while the other was a sealed jar of liquid nitrogen. Donnie was forced to do a double-take, immediately recognising that it was the same tank that he had stored in his lab. He bit back a sharp comment and instead tried to focus his attention on the water streaming down from the faucet. _Oh okay... so_ I'm _not allowed in my lab, but the others are? Scratch that..._ Mikey's _allowed in_ my _lab?!_ He thought bitterly as he turned off the spout, prepared to race back off to his room.

"Hey, Donnie," Raph's sudden demand for his younger brother caught him quite off-guard, and Donnie let out a slight yelp, as though he had been caught red-handed. His overactive mind immediately flew to the worst possible conclusion.

He swallowed his fear. "Yeah?"

"Can you tell this knucklehead that using liquid nitrogen to freeze pizza doesn't qualify as science?" Raph sharply requested, completely throwing the scientist for a loop. Donnie, who had mentally prepared himself for the dreadful question of why he looked so tired, was completely stumped at Raph's inquire. That was not what he had been expecting at all. He tried to recall when exactly he had lost sight of where the conversation was headed when he suddenly felt three pairs of eyes burning into his skin. With a jolt, he realised he was just... awkwardly standing by the sink, dazed, without saying a word. He had completely forgotten Raph's question... wait... was it a question?

"Um... sure Raph..." Donnie stuttered, vaguely recalling his request from the pressure. "Mikey, that's not science."

Although Raph seemed satisfied with the answer, Mikey immediately spoke up, sounding offended.

"Hey, somebody's gotta fill in for you during your vacay." Mikey explained quickly. "Don't be jealous cause of my mad skillz." Then he leaned closer to Raph. "I totally spelled that with a 'z'. Let's see your Thomas Edison do that."

Raph rolled his eyes. "You're the one that brought up Edison." He pointed out.

Upon hearing their conversation steer off topic, Donatello decide to take the opportunity to quickly slip out of the kitchen, taking a hesitant step toward the vacant doorway. But he was a little too late, as Leonardo, who seemed to already been giving him suspicious glances, moved to stand in front of his jumpy younger brother. He could see Donatello's painfully tense posture, and just barely make out the sight of heavy bags under his usually bright, brown eyes. He looked _tired_ , as though he hadn't slept all night.

"You okay, Donnie?" He asked carefully, watching the other turtle's body language speak for itself. He stiffened in his tracks and a layer of sweat formed on his forehead. He shifted his weight from one foot to another. If this wasn't a look of guilt, Leonardo didn't know what was.

"Are you okay?" Leo asked again, emphasising each word by leaning closer to Donnie when his question received a long silence. It wasn't as though the genius brother hadn't heard him the first time, but a million replies were running through his mind at once. His stomach flopped and he tried to fake a convincing smile. The palms of his hands began to grow sweaty as he noticed that Leo's eyes had hardened into a stern glare.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm great... y'know, just... taking it easy." He lied as sweetly as he could, hating that he took a quote, "Mikey route", to evade the question.

Leo raised a brow, unimpressed. He seemed to be waiting for more of an elaboration.

"Just getting w-water. Need some water to take it easy." Donnie grinned all the more nervously, holding up the glass and not exactly sure if his reply would be taken seriously; Leo easily saw most of their rouses, anyway. He was started to feel claustrophobic. Being in such close proximity to someone else (unless they were April, of course!) was making him sick to his stomach. It wasn't even an instant later that he noticed a small gap between the doorway and Leo's figure as he moved to observe him closer. So, without giving Leo any time to even realise what he was about to do, Donnie quickly slipped past him.

"I'm fine, Leo, just _chillaxin_ ," Donnie anxiously justified his sudden departure, and as soon as he knew that had disappeared out of Leo's sight, made a break for his room. He ran inside and slammed the door shut before locking it.

Back in the kitchen, Leo stared out after him, a puzzled expression on his face as he tried to process what exactly had happened.

"What's the matter, Fearless?" Raph asked flatly, finally eating a spoonful of the cereal in front of him, slightly cringing afterwards at how soggy it had become. Mikey took a bite of the pizza and placed the can of liquid nitrogen aside, watching his older brother with interest as he turned back to them.

But Leo bit his bottom lip, clearly distressed. "Donnie just said... _'chillaxin'_ ".

From inside his room, Donnie placed the cup of water down onto his desk before immediately turning his attention to the mutant. He carefully examined the jar that contained the Drip, bringing it up to eye height. As he caught sight of the water mutant, his chest tightened in fear: it was nothing more than a pile of pink goo. He unscrewed the lid to the jar and poured the Drip out onto his hand.

"Hey, little guy," Donnie sympathetically patted the smaller mutant on its melted head. "Let's fix you up, okay?"

Careful as to not squish the liquefied creature that was resting in the palm of his hand, Donnie reached down toward the glass of water situated on the desk. He poured out a few drops onto the melted mutants' body. At first, nothing seemed to happen, and Donnie felt his fear turn to panic. But, only seconds late, the tiny creature suddenly took on the form of the familiar droplet Donnie recognised. It's eyes lit up, rejuvenated, and it hugged it's creator's thumb. Donnie couldn't help but smile, letting out a deep sigh of relief.

"Ha, well, you're welcome!" He laughed, setting it back onto the desk and watching with amusement as it raced around the microscopes and beakers, shrieking and hopping in delight. He had hidden away all the scalpels and syringes the night before to avoid injuring the Drip. He then glanced over his shoulder at the locked door to his room, the only thing keeping the Drip within the safety of this domain. With a content sigh, Donnie sat down. _Well, at least no one had found this little guy, yet._ He thought as he observed the creature. But that was when he noticed that there was something... _different_ about the Drip. Something that hadn't been there before. An odd _gleam_ in its eyes...

It was off putting, but Donnie ignored it. He knew he had barely slept, and concluded his eyes were playing tricks on him. Simple as that. Easy explanation. But he decided to humour the observation anyway, causing him to almost laugh. How much damage could such a tiny mutant do, anyway?

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((A.N. Hello! Thanks for reading! The next few chapters will be a bit more 'intense' for lack of better words. I hope you stick around! Thanks for reading and see you later!))


	5. Chapter 5

((A.N - Hello, I'm back with the next chapter! This took me a while to upload because I haven't had anytime to edit. More notes at the end!)

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Once the day had passed and again night settled upon the city, Donatello placed the Drip back into its jar, though he did so a bit earlier than the night before. As he screwed the lid shut, he noted that the creature wasn't jumping and grinning as it usually did, and he wondered whether the water he had given it earlier had disturbed it somehow. Without thinking, he wrapped duct tape around the lid of the glass jar, and it seemed to sooth the feeling of uneasiness that had crept up his spine. He believed these new and unnerving feelings were caused by the fear that the others would find the creature, but his logical reasoning could not fully dismiss the panicked notions taking a toll on his mind.

He ignored these feelings, and in turn, his routine of removing his ninja gear had also slipped his mind. But the more important thing was that the mutant was unable to escape its glassy prison, and anxiously, Donnie tried to fall asleep. He kept his back turned to the creature, too nervous to look directly at it. Paranoia seized him as he could feel its eyes boring into his shell. It took several hours before sleep finally claimed him; he had been tossing and turning with fearful anticipation all night. However, it wasn't morning that greeted him once he opened his glassy eyes. Lucid dreaming wasn't uncommon for how often he overworked his mind, and along with the current stress he felt with the Drip watching him sleep, it was to be expected. But this time, his dream felt all too _real_. There was water surging around him, encircling him from every possible angle until his head was swept under as he futilely tried to get to high ground. He was being _suffocated_ on every side as water spilled deep into his lungs. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. Everything was turning _black_ as his consciousness began to fade from the lack of oxygen. His mind was shutting down by the second. He was-

Donatello's eyes snapped open in a panic, feeling every inch of his body drenched in cold sweat, and he tried to suck in a breath of air- only to get a mouthful of icy _water_.

Quickly, he clamped his mouth shut, horrified he might've release too much of the precious oxygen trapped in his lungs. Was he still dreaming? _No_. No, there was no way, he concluded with a dreadful shudder. This _wasn't_ a dream... it couldn't be. Accepting the situation only caused his heart to begin pounding almost painfully within his chest, horrified at the realisation that his entire room had somehow been _flooded_. His desk, cabinets, chair, books, equipment and entire bed frame were floating around him in the murky water. Everything in his field of vision was dark and getting duller by the second. Soon, the water was so cloudy that it became hard to see only a few inches past his face. With a jolt, he came to conclusion that he couldn't even see his _hands_ anymore. But why did he feel so incredibly _light headed?_ It was almost temping to _sleep_... Only then did the gravity of the situation hit him like a brick wall: It wasn't the _water_ that was growing dark, it was his _consciousness_. He was slipping away.

 _What's happening? I'm... I'm... I can't breathe... I'm-_

 _I'm_ _drowning_!

Whether it was instinct or the adrenaline, he began to kick his legs and swim up toward the ceiling of his room, praying that the water hadn't risen too high. A second after he felt as though his lungs would implode from the pressure, his head broke the surface, not even a foot below the ceiling. Donnie let out a gasp, coughing up mouthfuls water as he tried to blink droplets from his burning eyes. Once he managed to expel the majority of the icy liquid from his chest, he ever so stubbornly took a moment to address the bizarre situation, wondering what on earth could have created such a disaster.

 _Did a bunch of sewer pipes break or something? Maybe the East River overflowed, a result from a flash flood..._

Then he remembered the Drip and he nearly choked. His _promise_. Then he remembered Leo.

His breath caught in his throat. _My family!_

Letting out a yelp of fear, Donnie took in a deep gulp of air before diving back under to search for the others. Unlike him, his brothers and sensei weren't exactly light sleepers who were startled awake by even the slightest noises during the night. They might have not even noticed the flood, and if they did, they might be trapped somewhere, unable to escape. But if they _had_ gotten away, there was no way that they'd just _abandon_ him without searching... _right_? Another thought flashed through his mind just then; although turtles were able to hold their breath for long periods of time, it wasn't an eternity. He didn't know when exactly the flood began. It could have been five, ten or even fifteen minutes ago. Or an hour. Master Splinter couldn't hold his breath that long, unlike his four sons.

 _That could mean...!_

Donatello could repeatedly see the worst possible scenario play through in his mind, over and over again. It was almost as though his brain enjoyed seeing him suffer at the thought of losing his entire family. He shut his eyes tight and shook his head, refusing to believe the vile notions flashing in front of his eyes.

 _That's not gonna happen!_

He quickly swam down to the door, gripping the knob in both hands, and yanked it open. He half expected, hoped, _prayed_ that the water from his room to rush into the _dry_ hall once the door opened. But he had no such luck. To his horror, he was forced to paddled out into the hall to escape his room; the entire lair and sewer had been _flooded_. Driven by panic, he used the wall as a means of pushing himself forward until he reached the pit of the living room. His eyes took in the sight before him; the soaked furniture, ruined carpeting, destroyed pinball machine and broken TV. He expected the pit to be vacant, as though the flood washed out all signs of life from the sewers. But what he saw, hovering a few feet away from the turnstiles, brought him more relief than his previous, unpleasant thoughts.

 _Everyone_ was there, appearing alive and unharmed, though they were paddling rather wearily in place, as though they had been waiting for a long while. Donatello's brothers all gave him a thumbs up once he swam closer, indicating they were indeed okay. He could see their muscles visibly relax and the fear in their eyes diminish now with their previously missing brother in their field of vision. And so, Leo (who was holding onto a rather unconscious Master Splinter), gave out elaborate hand gestures that signalled their plan of escape. There was no arguing over the orders given by the leader as he exited the lair, holding onto their sensei with the uncharacteristic (but greatly appreciated) help of Raph. Mikey followed a few feet behind, and they all vanished into the abandoned subway, heading for the nearest manhole cover that would provide them an entrance to the world above.

All except for _one_.

Donatello, who intended to follow his brothers at first, hung back even further, feeling his blood turn to ice as he noticed remnants of pink goo floating around in the murky water. He knew what... _who_ they came from, and he stopped swimming by the edge of the turnstiles. He looked over his shoulder with narrowed eyes. Following his brothers was the last thing on his mind right now. He had more _pressing_ matters to attend to. In such a rare situation, he felt it was more important to disrupt the force behind the accident than to run from it. And he knew _exactly_ what it was, too.

 _The Drip._

He should have known better than to leave it unattended, even when it appeared so... _lifeless_.

Gritting his teeth, he turned himself around and swam back into the flooded lair, trailing the stream of the rosy coloured goo to the kitchen. He figured it was a good place to start searching for the little demon, as the water turbulence was much stronger there than anywhere else in their home. He gripped the edge of the doorway to secure himself before peeking his head into the flooded room. The stools had sunk to the floor while bowls and other kitchen appliances floated lazily around.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, and the drifting bowls that obscured his vision moved out of the way, he found himself staring directly at the culprit: _The Drip_. Having his eyes lay upon the evil gremlin sent a pang of anger through the genius turtle, and yet he couldn't help but admire just how far his experiment had come; it had become its own living, breathing organism, equipped with a thought process and emotions... but it was still a threat to him and his family... and it was beaming wider than Donnie ever saw, euphorically absorbing the water as though it was a source of undeniable power. For a moment, Donnie mentally swore that the mutant had somehow grown _bigger_ , but he decided that the cold water was playing tricks on his eyes.

After all, they were _burning_ from being exposed to the icy liquid for so long.

But a little pain was _nothing_ compared to the damage the Drip could do to an entire city. It managed to flood the entire lair and sewer system within a few _minutes_. What it could do on land, in contact with the earth's water supplies, would be _astronomically_ dangerous. There was only one way to stop the Drip from getting too powerful, but that entire plan heavily relied on the assumption that it already _hadn't_ become unstoppable. It could have been absorbing water for who knows _how_ long exactly. It _had_ to be contained at all costs. As quietly as he could, Donnie slowly swam closer to the Drip, making sure that he was out of its peripheral vision at all times. His foot accidentally bumped a stool... loudly. Unfortunately, the Drip was much more keen to its surroundings than he had previously anticipated. He was only a few inches away before the Drip turned around and locked eyes with him, its cruel orbs radiating a sickening glow of surprise. As fast as Donatello could move his arms through the thick, cold water, he lashed out both hands in an attempt to stop the Drip from escaping elsewhere into the sewers. He caught it, much to his own amazement, and he could feel the creature struggling in his grip.

Unfortunately for him, the relief didn't last too long.

As though it was escaping a predator, the Drip suddenly split itself into nothing more than globs of its semi-solidified self and slipped through his fingers as a liquid. It reconnected once it was far enough away from the ninja, feeling safer to have put distance between itself and its creator. Donnie began to follow, but all of a sudden, there was a terrible, aching pain in his chest and his head felt lighter than ever before. He paused in his tracks and placed his hands over his forehead as the throbbing pain began to worsen, realising with a jolt of panic that he had to get air. He had to get above ground or he'd _drown_. With one last look of defeat, he tried to spot the Drip through his dimming vision as he exited the kitchen.

But it had vanished.

It didn't take long to reach the surface world. Despite fighting through the currents and refusing to acknowledge the constant paranoia that something was watching him from the tunnels, Donatello reached the nearest manhole cover without a second to spare. He felt as though his lungs would explode if he were to stay underwater any longer.

Thankfully for him, the lid to the sewer was already open, signalling that his brothers and sensei had gotten out alive. It also allowed him to exit the sewers faster than if he were to pause and pry the manhole cover away. He followed the ladder up, no need to even _use_ the ladder as a means of getting up to the streets, as the water had risen all the way to top. The moment his head broke the surface, he let out a hoarse cough, partially spitting out the water that had entered into his chest in between deep breaths of fresh air. Through his blurry vision, he could see smudges of green, red, blue, orange and brown. Then, he felt at least three pairs of arms hauling him up out of the sewers. As he steadied himself, he noticed that they were all looking at him in a mix of relief and something else he couldn't quite read.

"Hey... hey guys," Donnie began with a raspy voice. Why did his throat hurt so such? But he barely had time to dwindle on this thought before he felt four pairs of eyes burning into his skin. But they weren't warm gazes; they were questioning, disappointed stares mixed with confusion. Nervous and embarrassed, Donnie shifted his weight from one foot to another. _What's the point in lying?_ They nearly all drowned... there was nothing he could gain from hiding the truth.

"I... I, uh... may have a little explaining to do."

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((A.N - Hello! Thanks for reading the next chapter! It took me a while to edit, but if there are any spelling/grammatical errors, please let me know! I don't have much to say except for credits are in the first chapter if you missed them, and constructive criticism is always welcome! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. See you later!))


	6. Chapter 6

((A.N- Hi! I'm back. I wasn't sure whether to split this chapter into two parts, but I didn't know where a good place to stop would be. So it's just a pretty long chapter instead. Not much else to say, thanks for reading, and credits are in the first chapter if you missed them!

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The rather lengthy and detailed oriented explanation was one that easily left the three brothers baffled, staring at their guilt-struck Donatello with shock. He, on the other hand, wearily dropped his gaze to study the ground below his feet to avoid their gazes, slightly twisting his right foot around to discover a small, bleeding cut on his heel. It was quickly forgotten when a strong voice intruded on his bleak thoughts.

"Donnie, what were you _thinking_? You were _supposed_ to be taking the week _off_!" Leo protested, but it was more than obvious that the damage had already been done. His aura radiating great amounts of betrayal once the purple masked ninja finished his story.

And though his tone expressed anger, it was clear Leo didn't know of any other way react, proved through his gaping mouth and wide eyes. Disappointment was the first emotion to come to his mind after his brother verbally announce this was all his doing, but taking out his rage on Donnie wouldn't do much to free the lair of its watery prison. As nice of a turtle Donnie portrayed himself as, he was the only other brother who equalled, if not exceeded, Raph's stubbornness, especially when he set his mind to something. Thankfully for Leo, he wasn't the only one having trouble with accepting what happened; Raph was busy muttering under his breath, shooting Donnie irked glares. Beside him, Master Splinter was standing deathly still, not uttering a word, eyes closed and an oddly peaceful expression on his old face.

"Yeah, leave the experiments to the professionalz." Mikey commented with a solemn nod, though his sentience didn't have much of an impact. He then leaned over and whispered into Raph's ear, "I spelled that with a 'z' again, Raph. I think I'm really getting the hang of this science stuff."

"I dream of a world where you realise when to stop talking." The temperamental turtle sighed in annoyance, still not letting go of the stern glare aimed at the faulted scientist.

Donnie avoided his brother's eye to the best of his ability, feeling humiliation bubble up inside him. They were all staring at him in the one looked that he loathed above the rest: _distrust_... well, all except for Master Splinter. Rather, the rat's eyes were closed while his mind buzzed, filled with undecipherable thoughts. Somehow, not being able to read their father's emotions made Donnie feel all the more anxious than before. And once their father opened his soft, brown eyes, Donnie chose his words carefully, feeling as though he should use truth to his advantage... _or pity._

"I know I should have told you guys sooner, but... I just... I'm so close to a breakthrough to cure Master Splinter... to cure _everyone_ that got mutated by the Kraang that I guess... I guess I just-" Donnie tried to reason, but he broke off as a hand was placed on his shoulder. The ninja's entire figure tensed up and he hesitantly gazed up at Master Splinter's face. Donnie held his breath and awaited further confrontation. But to his and his brother's surprise, their father's expression remained calm and reasonable, thought it did little to diminish the sickening feeling welling inside Donatello's chest. It was a mix of embarrassment and guilt, and for a moment he even wondered whether it would just be easier to retreat into his shell rather than facing the consequences of his idiotic actions.

 _Why couldn't I have just listened to Leo?_ He forced himself to look up at his father's face and meet his eye.

"Donatello, we have been over this many times," Master Splinter began level-headedly, and Donnie visible winced, mentally preparing himself for what he knew would come. "I need no cure to live a happy life. I just need my sons."

 _What?_

Donnie, still frozen in his tracks, looked up at his father, baffled at his peaceful response.

"You're... what?" He gasped out, completely stumped as to why he wasn't being scolded for disobeying Leo's direct orders and causing such a mess. Maybe he was dreaming and none of this ever happened. With that thought in mind, for a moment, Donnie wondered whether his father's words were some kind of joke to catch him off guard. He made sure to let Splinter know that he had a chance to backpedal and retake at everything he had said.

"Are you... are you sure?" He asked hesitantly.

As true as his words, Master Splinter's only reply was a nod and a reassuring smile toward Donatello, who remained looking rather disoriented. The purple clad ninja cautiously turned back toward his brothers who, although still looked rather steamed at his careless actions, were willing to place their bickering aside. That was when Raph let out a sigh, folding his arms across his plastron, and asked the million dollar question.

"So... how are we gonna get our home back?"

For a few seconds, no one spoke. Ultimately, it was Leo who broke the prolonged silence after a brief moment of planning. "Okay guys, so let's think. So far the Drip is contained to the sewers. That means we all need to think fast before he discovers the outside world."

"Ooh, ooh! I know! Pick me!" Mikey exclaimed, waving his arms in the air as he jumped up and down in order to divert Leo's attention over toward him. "We'll get a giant vacuum and suck up all of the water out of the sewers, along with that Drip thing! Then, we can turn the the lair into a huge waterpark with slides and stuff! It's the perfect-"

Their daftest brother broke off when Raph slapped his hand over his mouth to avoid any further noise to escape him. Leo rolled his eyes at the action, not amused. "Does anyone have a _good_ idea?" He emphasised the word 'good'.

And he got a rather meek reply.

"Actually... I may have a plan to stop the Drip."

All four mutants focused their attention on Donnie, who was slightly preoccupied with studying the ground. "If you all want to hear my idea, that is." He then quickly added in, as though it would be an insult to the others if he didn't make it obvious that they didn't _have_ to listen to him.

"Go on," Leo nodded with a stern expression, although there were trances on encouragement behind it.

"Um... well, it's kind of hard to explain right now, but I need you guys to trust me. I'll have to head back down to the lair to grab something while you guys get the Drip's attention and distract him." Donnie blurted out, not exactly sure how the others would react to his vague description. Speaking in a lack of detail wasn't really his thing, after all. When he glanced up from the asphalt, he noticed with a slight grimace that they were all staring toward him with a startled expression. Donnie bit his bottom lip and balled his hands into fists down by his sides. They were going to say _no_ , he just knew it. There was no way they'd put their trust into him after what had happened.

"Um, Donnie... I don't think finding the Drip thing is gonna be a problem." Mikey suddenly put in, still staring at his older brother in a rather startled fashion. No, he was staring slightly _past_ his older brother. They all were. That was when Donnie came to the sickening realisation that they weren't looking at _him_ , but rather something _behind_ him. Just then, he felt the slight spray of water against the back of his arms and legs, and he wheeled himself around. His swore he could feel own heart dive into his throat at the sight.

It was the Drip... but not exactly. Whatever this was, it was much stronger than that tiny mutant. Greenish-coloured water, with dozens of Drip-like clones that were all tall as the turtles themselves, rose up out of the sewer like a tsunami wave. They all morphed together into a wave, reaching at least twenty feet high into the air before halting, as though it was waiting for the brothers to make their first move. Leo slowly reached his hand up to grab one his katanas from its scabbard on his back, not exactly sure how they'd fight water with weapons meant for solidified enemies.

But it was worth a shot.

Unfortunately, he had no time to even holler out an order, as the second the Drip sensed danger from the group below, it allowed the wave to violently crashed down over top of them. The rush of water sent the five sprawling further into the alleyway, undoubtedly intending to wash them all out into the main roads. It would have succeeded, too, had they not managed to grab onto the sides of the building to keep themselves safely stationed, despite the harsh current.

"Turtles, get to higher ground!" Leo ordered over the sound of roaring water, climbing up to the safety of the rooftops.

Raph, who had dug his sais into the side of a concrete building to keep himself to being swept away, glared at him. "Really?" He shouted sarcastically, craning his head above the current to avoid taking in a huge gulp of water. "No synchronised swimming practice today, chief?"

"Just move!" Leo called down after him, not in the mood to humour his horribly tempered brother. He could hear the others following close by, but the sound of the thundering water growing higher was - _unironically_ \- drowning out any of their voices. They'd just have to do without communication for a little while. Hopefully, they'd all make it without any unforeseeable incidents. Heart thundering almost as loud as the water underneath him, the leader refused to relax until his family was out of harm's way. Eventually, after a few painstaking minutes of fighting against the rising current, they all climbed onto the safety at the top of building without permanent harm (though Mikey did have a new bruise decorating his right forearm).

But such a trivial injury was the least of their worries, as it was clear the water had already heightened to the first floor and showed no sign of slowing down. Donnie risked a glance over at his brothers, wanting to reassure them and that find a way to fix what he started, but he seemed to have hit a brick wall; no sound could escape his throat. This situation was spinning out of control. _Fast_.

 _Fix it._ His small voice in his brain demanded. _Fix this now. It's your fault. Don't let your family bail you out. Fix it._ Donnie narrowed his eyes as he watched the water swirl several feet beneath him, feeling his fear melt away into more... intolerable; Self loathing. He _allowed_ this to happen because he wasn't careful enough. This was all _his fault_ and he had to stop it. But in order to stop the flood he needed to get to the source of the problem. And it was still in the Lair. _Underground_. The water current seemed to grow rougher once he averted his attention back to it... to the point where he could easily be swept away.

 _Fix it. Fix your mistake. Fix your mistake or you're nothing better than that monster itself._

"Keep him occupied!" Donnie ordered over his shoulder, earning puzzled stares from his brothers and father. "And whatever you do, don't let him reach the East River! He'd be unstoppable!"

Before the others could process what exactly he was planning to do, and before he could summon the energy to stop even himself, Donnie took in a gulp of air, diving down into the murky depths of the flooded alleyway. He could hear the shouts of surprise from the others, muffled and distorted, but he ignored them. If he had told them his plan in its entirety, there would be no way that they'd allow him to follow it through. This was the only way. But the current, being much stronger than he had anticipated, resulted in a tug of war between him fighting to swim downwards and the roaring water that tried to carry him off. It nearly took all of his strength to make it to the open sewer, leaving his already muscles aching. Here was where the water was the strongest, and it forcefully poured out of the open manhole cover almost like a geyser. Through the rough water, he forced himself down into the flooded sewers, using the ladder to make sure he didn't get swept away. As he reached the underground abandoned subway, his eyes had already began to burn and lungs tighten from the lack of oxygen.

He needed to find the Drip. _Now. Go now. Don't be such a baby and fix this._

Gripping the sides of the subway tunnel, he half dragged/half swam his way toward the familiar turnstiles of the lair. He partially wished he had stayed on land once his eyes fell upon the remains of the lair. His home, once a sanctuary of safety and memories, had been turned into a surreal underwater realm. A few of the lighter pieces of furniture, like the dozens of empty pizza boxes that decorated the floor and the scrapped metal from his lab, floated out of the accommodation. He watched these items for a moment, not sure if the pain in his chest was from the lack of oxygen or how they'd be forced to throw away nearly all of their possessions after the flood cleared out... along with the memories. However, this was all depending on the flood _clearing out._ And he had yet to even find the source.

Skillfully, Donatello manoeuvred around the minefield of garbage as he swam further inside, ignoring the numbing pain in his legs as the water seemed to grow chillier.

He was still working to finalise his plan to stop the mutant from flooding the entire city... or worse. The world. If the Drip continued to gain power from the water around itself, it would only be a matter of time until it reached the ocean. And then what?

 _Where's that stupid tank of nitrogen...?_ He bitterly wondered. _If I can get that tank, maybe I can freeze that monster inside it..._

By now, the water was growing colder as he paddled into the pit, and goosebumps formed on his exposed skin. Several feet past from the turnstiles, the icy water felt as though it had seeped deep into his bones, chilling him from the inside out. The world was growing fuzzy around him as his eyes stung, forcing him to blink roughly, trying to clear away the pain. He had taken in a rather large breath of air before submerging himself into the flooded sewers... how could he be running out of air already? But he immediately forgot about the pain the second his eyes spotted pink glob swirling around him. His stomach flopped in both anger and uneasiness, his heart racing. Cautiously, he began to follow the trail of goo into the pit of the lair, where the water was no longer room-temperature, but rather _freezing_.

Though chills and shivers racked his icy, cold-blooded body, he forced his limbs so carry him further, until he noticed the dreadfully familiar silhouette of the creature he had unwittingly mutated. To think all this madness started but a day ago...

Donatello narrowed his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings, trying to find the _one_ thing he knew could assist him in stopping the mutant from destroying the city. But it was _nowhere_ to be found in his field of view. Whilst searching, he thought about trapping the Drip back into the glass jar he had kept it in the first night, but that would require a great amount of stealth and the presumption that the jar hadn't been smashed when the thing escaped. He scratched plan number one off his mental list. His second guess would be to lower the temperature of the water even more so it would freeze. However, this would cause the entire city to crack open when the ice would expand. He angrily shook his head in an attempt to dispel these useless plans.

Suddenly, caught off guard as he ventured through the possible routes to take and their unfortunate outcomes, he had barely even noticed that something began to snake around his left leg. He only realised the presence of the thing once it had coiled around his leg completely. He let out a muffled gasp, his exclaim cut short as the pink tentacle-like object dragged him closer to where the Drip remained. His voice was nothing but soundless bubbles as he was wretched away. His hands scraped against the ground, trying to grab a hold of _anything_ that could possibly keep him from being brought into the pit of the lair. If the Drip saw him... he couldn't even imagine what might happen. Maybe he'll just freeze up into a turtle ice cube.

Light headed and eyesight beginning to face in and out of consciousness, he struggled to keep himself awake. His lungs felt as though they were about to explode at any moment and the tips of his fingers were rubbed raw from the rough, concrete floor. Why hadn't he come with backup? Why couldn't he have asked Leo or Raph or even Mikey to come with him... They'd be able to do something. He couldn't. He created this monster, and now he was going to expire by it. A small exhale slipped past his lips as his entire perception grew hazy, his muscles aching under his scales. Maybe it would be easier just to give up. He didn't even know if the Drip was using the power it possessed to its full extent.

What if he couldn't stop it? What if it already had control of the world? He ceased his continuous stream of 'what if' thoughts and simply relaxed in the thing's iron grip, the panic in his mind overshadowed by the blanket of numbness the icy water brought. _I couldn't do it. I... I was too caught up in my own little world to even take Leo's suggestion into consideration... and now look where that's gotten me... I can't-_

And that was when something metallic bumped the back of his left hand, snapping him out of his trance. Surprise lit up his gaze as he glanced over to identify what it had been, his movements quite stiff. But what he saw brought back all the life that seemed to have drained from his body; It was the small tank of liquid nitrogen. It was the same one Mikey had stolen from his lab. This was the thing he had been looking for... It was here. It was _here._ It was right _here_ and almost in his _grasp._ He just needed to-

As if by instinct, his fingers closed around the small tank without a moment of hesitation. His previous feeling of complete failure melting away as it was replaced by willpower, and he clenched the object closer to his was his fault, without a doubt, but he _would_ fix it. Even it if was the last thing he'd do.

Suddenly, as though the Drip had sensed the change it the atmosphere, the entire tentacle hoisted Donnie up from the ground and closer toward where the smaller mutant remained unnervingly still, silently absorbing water. It's back was facing him. Swiftly, Donnie unscrewed the lid to the cryogenic-like element, leaning far away from the jar as the cold began to leak out into the water. He placed the lid under his arm, holding the jar in both hands. Then, the moment he caught sight of the Drip, using the water around it to create a terrible current, almost like a force field, he felt his eyes narrow. As fast as he could, along with the tentacle pulling him closer until he was only a few feet away from the creature, Donnie threw the top of the nitrogen tank over the Drip. It barely had time to properly react, let alone counter the attack, before it was encased within the tank. The lid was smashed shut over top of its head not a moment later. In that same split second, the mutant's eyes had lit up in shock, not able to even process what exactly was happening, but by then it was already too _late_.

The Drip was contained once more.

But without the Drip to maintain the extreme overabundance of surging water, it began to retreat rapidly, almost like a hive-minded army and fallen leader. The icy water gushed out of the lair and into the abandoned subway system, clearly headed for the nearby sewage plant. It roared down pipes and tunnels as Donatello, with eyes and mouth tightly shut, held onto the liquid nitrogen tank with dear life, too afraid of the consequences that would come with allowing it to slip away. With his free hand, he gripped the edge of the stairs right before the turnstiles with all of his remaining strength, drawing his legs closer to his body in a feeble attempt to keep himself from being torn away down into the sewage plant. There was the faint but wild feel of trashing inside of the tank of liquid nitrogen, and for a brief moment in time where Donatello believed that the thing would break loose. However, the flailing slowly became less and less aggressive as the seconds slipped by and morphed into minutes.

The movements of the Drip as it tried to fight its icy fate were mirrored by the water as it retreated. When the smaller mutant's jerking grew weary, the water current levelled out to a nice pace that quietly slinked back into the shadows of the sewers. Donatello, no longer feeling the Drip fighting from inside the tank, risked a glance upwards to see how far the water had receded. To his surprise, the second he tilted his head toward the surface, his face was hit with a blast of cold air. Eyes widening in disbelief, he spun his attention from one side of the lair to the other, amazed to be seeing the familiar, water-less remains of his home. Realising with a jolt that he was still holding his breath, he allowed it to escape with an audible sigh. The pain in his chest immediately evaporated as soon as he exhaled the stale air trapped inside of his lungs. Blinking the water out of his burning, red eyes, he glanced around with a growing smile. By now, the flood had reduced to his knees, and he was able to stand up in the shallow pool without the fear of being swept away. Donatello's attention gathered lower, and he gazed down at the tank of liquid nitrogen grasp in his palm.

He thought he felt weak tapping on the side of the container, but decided against it. He concluded, unfazed, that it was probably just his rapid pulse trembling in his nearly-frozen hand. He wadded toward the turnstiles, eager to exit the chilly water and trudge onto dry land for a little while. Once he felt his feet hit the cool, familiar cement, he placed the tank on the ground beside him, took off his mask, and wringed out the soaked piece of fabric with a grimace.

 _I hate water. I hate it. I hate it. I absolutely, one hundred percent HATE IT._ He complained with a miserable grimace etched onto his face.

That was the exact moment, as he tied the now-damp mask over his eyes, he had the impression that footsteps were echoing throughout the nearby sewer tunnel. He risked a hesitant glance over in the general direction he believed the noise was coming from, and to his surprise, it became louder and louder and then-

"Donnie! You're okay!"

 _Wait a minute... was that Raph?_

But before he could even be sure it wasn't just the draining water rattling throughout the pipes, there was a flash of orange across his vision. Not even seconds later, he was tackled into a tight and cordial hug. Donatello couldn't stop the loud exclaim of shock from escaping his throat as the force of another figuring affectionately slamming into him sent both of them crashing to the ground. Soon, he found himself alongside the lively heap of his brother, still holding onto him snugly in the shallow water, which had somewhat provided a cushion from the impact.

"It's cause you found a bucket!" Mikey exclaimed in a boisterous manner, still holding the purple clad turtle in a death grip. _Must be talking about the nitrogen..._ Between his arms, Donatello squirmed in slight discomfort, but didn't dare announce it, figuring the least he could do after causing such a disaster was to accept the generous hug from their baby brother. With a weary grin, he looked over at the turnstiles, and upon seeing the rest of his family, Leo, Raph and Splinter, relaxed a bit on the inside. Then, his eyes made a pass over the rest of their home. It was still damp with large puddles scattered here and there, but thankfully no longer flooded. Donatello pushed himself up onto his feet, hauling Mikey up along with him, who still refused to let go.

"So, what do we do about Mr. Napoleon syndrome?" Raph's question was bitter, and he lightly tapped the canister were the Drip was held frozen with the tips of his toes.

Donnie's smile faltered when he lowered his attention to the little mutant's icy prison. "I have an idea." He assured them after a brief period of silence, smiling with a confidence he didn't know he had.

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((A.N. - Thanks for reading! As always, constructive criticism is always welcome, and please let me know if you spot any grammatical/spelling errors! I hope this chapter didn't seem too long. I was originally going to have it be two parts, but I wasn't sure where to cut this one off. So it's just one really long chapter instead! Thanks for reading! Only one left to go!))


	7. Chapter 7

**((A.N - Well, I decided to bold out my 'notes' because it'll make then easier to read (and tell apart from the story)... I hope. Anyway, here's the end! The final chapter! I've been working on this since school started (and during), so it's really weird to finally be done. But my other story will still be going on, Talons, traitors and turtles. I hope you give that one a chance too! As always, constructive criticism is welcome, as well as correcting my spelling/grammar! Thanks for reading!))**

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"And that is the end of that," Donatello reported, carefully placing the chained nitrogen canister into the freezer. Though the nightmare seemed to have ended, there was still the matter of no longer becoming startled at the sight of the living, tri-flavoured mass of ice cream which once had been April's cat... She was a harmless _feline-thing…_ but it was just so... _unnatural_. Then again, with the mess of events leading up to the Drip's eventual capture, he _had_ been rather sleep deprived and jumpy. She seemed to have noticed the slight hesitation in Donatello's movements as he set the canister down beside her, and the feline meowed. A faint smile ghosted over his face at the sound, and with a final, disheartened look at the tank, knowing that all his attempts at creating retromutagen would be locked away along with the little mutant, he closed the freezer door. Donnie sighed, his brain receiving mixed emotions of both relief that the situation was finally over, and sorrow for the same reason; the Drip could've been on their side and it showed great potential in a fight. _What did I do to provoke it? What... what did I do wrong?_

His hand was still idling on the smooth exterior of the freezer door, somehow feeling as though a part of him would be disconnected if he let go. But the anticipation of what his family would think of him now that the problem was over and done with outnumbered his sadness. Moreover, the unnerving feeling of eyes burning into the back of his shell had returned. He knew that this time it wasn't a deranged mutant staring at him from the shadows, planning his ultimate demise; it was his brothers, his sensei... and this factor somehow made him feel slightly worse, more afraid of the consequences and punishments his father could dish out. And so, he took a moment to compose himself before turning to face them. His hand slid off of the freezer door.

"Guys... I know I've said this before, and there's really no excuse for my mistake but... I'm sorry for all this." He took in a breath. "Especially you, Leo. I totally lied to you with a straight face. I should've come clean earlier on. Maybe then this whole thing wouldn't have happened."

He looked up, head slightly hanging in a partially hopeful, and partially fearful gesture, wondering what their reactions would be. Much to his own surprise, though, his father gave him a look of approval from where he stood by the stove, most likely brewing hot tea for later. Leo and Raph, on the other hand, were huddled around the table, exchanging glances that appeared to verge on telepathic communication. With Donnie's first apology, the two hadn't forgiven him straight away as both Mikey and Splinter had, and when they spent the rest of the day cleaning up the lair, Donnie had the suspicion they weren't going to... and he couldn't blame them. But once everything had been put back into its designated place; the things that could be fixed up stashed away into his lab for later, and whatever junk that was irreparable thrown into the junkyard, his older brothers finally accepted his mistake and apology (though Raph had given him a rather hard punch to the shoulder before accepting it, and Donnie was sure it was going to leave a very visible mark for quite a while) - with a catch.

"You have all earned a rest, my sons," Master Splinter's voice held traces of approval, but it intertwined with something that made his statement more of a command rather than a suggestion. Thus, it didn't take long before his gaze rested on his second youngest son. It was a stern gaze, but not angry in the slightest. "Especially you, Donatello."

And so, knowing it would be in his best interest not to argue, Donnie simply nodded at his words, feeling the pressure on his shoulders relax ever so slightly; He was able to stand a bit taller than before and hadn't even noticed that his mouth had curved into a thin smile.

However, it faltered when he heard Leo warily chuckle, the sound borderlining on something along the lines of " _but here's the catch"_. Their leader's wordless conversation with Raph seemed to have been put on hold, and when he spoke, he sounded a bit... concerned.

"So... remember, Don, no more-"

"I know, I know, no more experiments for at least a week," Donatello finished (or rather, interrupted) with an exhausted grin of his own, mentally hoping he'd never have to go through something so unnecessarily troubling ever again. He figured that, for once in his sixteen years of existence, he'd take a break from inventing. Though totally aware of how many downsides there were to denying himself access to his lab, Donnie figured at least this vacation would give the new blisters on his hands time to heal over. He didn't even know he could get those anymore... then again, they had been earned from not working all night, but rather scraping the ground while the Drip dragged him off, but he decided-

"Donnie?" A small voice severed his thoughts from his mind, and he blinked several times, almost frantically, as if he wasn't exactly sure where he was at the moment. Leo was eyeing him from where he sat, a few feet away. Donnie nervously grinned; he had zoned out again. He constantly rambled on and on in the safety of his thoughts without taking into consideration how it would affect the others on the outside- in reality. Then, he noticed the eyes of his family, unsure and disconnected.

 _Jeez!_ He mentally cursed himself as he forced an awkward grin, face burning from embarrassment. _I literally just did it again! Quit zoning out, Don!_

"Yeah... I'll take a break, I promise this time-"

"Speak for yourself, bro. Science waits for no man."

It was only when the familiar voice hit Donnie's ears did he realise that Mikey hadn't been in the kitchen the whole time. In fact, he couldn't recall the last time he had seen his baby brother after cleaning up the entire lair. He sort of... vanished. But now, as Mikey made his dramatic entrance into the kitchen, followed by an odd, greasy and pizza-y smell that overpowered the surrounding air, Donnie slightly wished he had just stayed hidden. The sight, was not much more pleasing than the odour; Mikey paraded into the kitchen, a great smile on his face, in such a bold fashion that should not have come from someone in his position. Raph covered his mouth while Leo cringed at the sight. Donnie froze and Splinter sighed, shaking his head.

For whatever reason, on top of Mikey's head was his treasured blue plaid hunters cap... and taped to it were several slices of pizza, dripping grease and cheese. _What on earth?_

"Behold! My latest invention!" Mikey proclaimed proudly once all eyes were on him. Unbeknownst, though, they weren't out of awe... rather, confusion and repulsion. With one hand on his hip, almost in a power stance, he peeled off a piece of pepperoni and ate it without even flinching.

"Yeah... we don't know what that is." Raph remarked, his confused gaze partially switching between Leo and Splinter, as if expecting some sort of explanation. But he didn't have to wait long.

"It's an edible pizza hat!" Was the immediate answer as Mikey seemed to mistake their disgust for interest. In fact, he was already smiling much wider than before. "I call it the _Pizza Hat_!"

Donnie looked away, not sure whether he should hide his amusement or growing second-hand embarrassment, all while avoiding the blissfully ignorant eyes of his youngest brother. He decided it would be for the best to try and not gag from the smell, and so he turned his head, thus leading him to lock eyes with Leo. His deadpan expression spoke more than volumes as he motioned for Donnie to come closer. It was an order quickly obeyed. _I might as well follow Leo's orders this time. It's the least I can do._

Once the genius turtle was within earshot, Leo cupped once hand around his mouth to keep his comment from travelling. His voice was barely above a whisper:

"Maybe next time you only flood Mikey's room." He jokingly suggested as his face mirrored an attempt to silence laughter. It was unlikely that the others heard Leo's comment, though, because Mikey was throwing a loud racket, complaining rather comically about 'hot grease in his eyes'.

Whilst contemplating Leo's request, Donnie let out a chuckle, glancing up to watch Mikey for a few seconds. He couldn't help but humour his oldest brother by replying with a grin;

"Yeah, I'll work on that." Donatello promised. "In a week."

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 **((A.N - Thanks for reading! I hope to see you in my other stories!))**


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